Welcome to the Warm Colors Apiary website. WCA produces and sells honey, pure beeswax candles, and products using honey and beeswax. We provide pollination services to local orchards and farms. Beekeepers can purchase queens and honeybees, and attend workshops in the Warm Colors bee yards. In other words, most activities involving honeybees happen at our apiary.
IMPORTANT NOTICE: We have closed our shop to the public until further notice due to the Coronavirus. COVID-19 is a serious threat and we will follow Governor Baker’s recommendations to limit exposure – for us, our friends and our customers.
- Our Beekeeping Workshops are postponed – see Workshop page.
- BEES ARE ON SCHEDULE: Package Bees and Nucs are scheduled for pick up April 18th (all packages) and Nucs May 1st – by appointment – see bee page.
- Honey Sales – we are not refilling containers at this time or allowing people into the shop. We will put up orders for outdoor pick up – by appointment only. Please call ahead to place a honey order.
BEE Pickups: We will begin distributing packages of bees the third week in April. Nucs will be distributed End of April, and the first two weeks in May. You will be contacted when we have confirmed your bees are ready.
Watch a video interview of Dan Conlon on WGBY (September 2019)
Warm Colors Apiary was founded in 2000 to produce regional honey from flowers in western Massachusetts. Located on eighty acres of woodland, open fields, and wetlands, the land provides a variety and abundance of nectar & pollen plants that bloom from early spring to late fall. Having a location with flowering plants blooming successively throughout the warm months makes our apiary ideal for honey production and the raising of honeybees.
Our mission is to develop, test and use beekeeping methods that improve the health of the honeybee. Through selective breeding, we endeavor to manage a sustainable apiary system that minimizes the use of harmful chemicals and employ the natural defenses and heritable behaviors shown to improve the honeybees mite tolerance and resistance to disease.
Our goals include raising honeybees capable of surviving the rigors of a New England winter and having the individual & social immunities to withstand the stresses associated with honeybee decline. Our work focuses on using the best available breeding stock, providing natural sources of forage and nutrition, and the early detection and prevention of disease and pests. Proactive management that reduces stress and the resulting problems, before they become too serious to correct, is our long-range goal.
BEE SALES for 2020:
We are no longer taking orders for bees. Queens will be available from April until August.
- Russian Queens will be available in May.
- We have sold out of Russian packages and 5-frame Nucs for 2020.
Beekeeper Events:
EAS 2021 – Eastern Apicultural Society, Get ready Massachusetts as we plan to host the 2021 EAS conference. This is the premier beekeeping event that includes all states east of the Mississippi River and Eastern Canada. Massachusetts is one of the original five founding states that created EAS.
2020 Franklin County & University of Massachusetts Annual Beekeeper’s Field Day. Saturday, June 13th (9 AM-4 PM) at the UMASS Agricultural Center, N. Pleasant St. Amherst. Practical Beekeeping presentations, Beekeeping suppliers, and Massachusetts Bee Association meeting. Free and 0pen to all beekeepers – association membership not required.
Franklin County Beekeepers’ Association – meetings are the 3rd Thursday of the month 7-9 PM. Senior Center, South Deerfield, MA. Meetings are open to all beekeepers. Upcoming meetings:
March 19th meeting of the Franklin County Bee Association – CANCELED
April 16th – South Deerfield Senior Center 7 – 9 PM. “Beeswax Products” learn how to prepare wax. FCBA members will show how to make products.
Rowe Library – March 25th, 2020 – Rowe MA. Wednesday 6:30-7:30 PM. Dan will give a talk on “Attracting Bees & Pollinators to Your backyard”. Protecting bees, providing safe habitat, and planting a variety of flowering plants will be discussed.
Backyard Beekeepers, CT. – Tuesday – March 31st, 2020. Dan’s topics will include Breeding Honeybees, Queen evaluation, and the Russian Honeybee Breeders program. – postponed until July 28th, 2020.
Eastern Apicultural Society Conference – August 3rd – 7th, 2020. University of Maine, Orono, ME. Visit the EAS website for information.
Russian Honeybee Breeders Association – November 30th, 2020. Baton Rouge, LA. The Annual meeting of RHBA.
American Honey Producers Association – December 1st – 5th, 2020. AHPA annual meeting in Baton Rouge, LA.
WCA OPEN HOURS: Regular Apiary Hours are on Wednesday, Friday & Saturdays 10 AM – 4 PM. Hours are subject to change. Please call 413-665-4513 and listen to our phone message for weekly updates.
PLEASE NOTE THE FOLLOWING DATES:
2020 Workshop schedule – see the workshop page.
Beekeeping can start young. Dan shows a future beekeeper the queen bee.
News:
- Dan Conlon interview on “Beekeeping Today” with Kim Flottum: Dan Conlon: It’s All About The Russians (Russian honey bees, that is)
- Warm Colors Apiary has received the 2018 “Local Hero Award” (farmer of the year) from CISA (Community Involved in Sustainable Agriculture) and a Congressional Award recognizing Warm Colors Apiary for our outstanding and invaluable service to the community from Congressman James McGovern. Bonita & I appreciate these honors from people and organizations we respect and support. CISA and Congressman McGovern promote nutrition, farms, and access to fresh foods for all Massachusetts residents. We share their philosophy that all people deserve fresh, nutritious food. We thank CISA and Congressman McGovern for their ongoing commitment to making local food available to all citizens.
Queen test yard #1
For the Beekeepers
Warm Colors is no longer maintaining an inventory of beekeeping equipment at our South Deerfield store. We will continue to sell a limited amount of equipment (only items we use in our apiaries). As our apiary has grown so has the time required to maintain our bees, produce honey and provide service to our honey customers. Getting out of equipment sales allows more time for our beekeeping. The core of our business remains honey production & raising honey bees.
We recommend ordering from the following equipment suppliers:
Starhart Hollow – Colrain, Massachusetts. 413-824-2657, Starharthollow@yahoo.com Locally manufactured beekeeping equipment.
Betterbee Inc. – Greenwich, New York. Full-line of bee equipment & supplies. Friendly service and sound beekeeping advice.
Mann Lake Inc. – Pennsylvania & Minnesota. Full-line of services, shipping included with purchase over $100.
Knowledge + Management = healthy bees.